Devices which cut and chamfer pipe are used in numerous operations which require pipe to be cut to certain lengths and which also require the pipe after cutting to have a factory-like chamfer on the pipe ends. Such cutting/chamfering devices in the prior art typically consist of a driving motor with a saw blade that is manually guided around the pipe to cut the pipe to the desired length. The pipe is then chamfered with a milling cutter in an additional process after it has been cut. The cutting/chamfering devices in the prior art perform the cutting and chamfering process as two individual steps. Each pipe end must be separately chamfered after it is cut. Examples of these prior art devices are disclosed in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,488 (Fahr) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,291 (Girardin).
The cutting/chamfering devices of the prior art have, however, a number of problems and shortcomings. They often are not mobile and do not have the ability to field-cut pipe and chamfer the cut ends in one step as opposed to the common practice of manually cutting through the pipe and then chamfering one end at a time using a cut-off saw. It would be desirable to have a cutting/chamfering device which is mobile and provides the ability to field-cut pipe and chamfer the cut ends in one step through the use of a single tool. Having a device such as this would make the cutting/chamfering of a pipe efficient and not a time-consuming two-step process.
In addition, most cutting/chamfering devices of the prior art achieve a cut and bevel that is inherently inconsistent and inferior. A primary concern is that a non-uniform bevel is more likely to cut seals used in pipe connections and create expensive waste of materials. Furthermore, it is an unsafe practice, not the least because a cut-off saw is not designed to be used as an angle grinder. This can make the process inconsistent and inferior. It would be desirable to have a cutting/chamfering device which overcomes these problems by allowing the user to quickly and accurately cut and chamfer both cut ends simultaneously on various sized pipes, including the most common pipe sizes used in construction (6″, 8″, 10″ and 12″) as well as pipes of larger sizes.
Additionally, most cutting/chamfering devices of the prior art employ practices which could be unsafe. It would also be desirable to have a cutting/chamfering device which is safe and easy to use during operation. A desirable feature would be to have a motor carriage hold the pipe in a secure manner and travel around the pipe rather than a pipe rotating around a cutter. A feature such as this would contribute to the safety of the device.
This invention meets these needs and overcomes other problems and shortcomings in the prior art with a cutting/chamfering device that is mobile, cuts/chamfers pipe in one step, quickly and accurately cuts/chamfers pipe and is safe to operate.